Ottawa Shooting. The Coffee break: 22 October 2014.

Hello folks;

Well this was a rather close call – a gunman shoots an army reservist standing guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, and then proceeds to Parliament Hill to try and do more “dirty work.” The reservist unfortunately has died of his wounds, but luckily the gunman did NOT accomplish his other objectives, if I may be allowed the phrase.

This is rather suspicious because it is now two dead servicemen this week – the other being struck in a targeted hit-and-run incident in Quebec. These actions – whether linked or not – seem to show a pattern of targeting government officials and military personnel when they are at their weakest – on ceremonial duties, and coming out of office buildings. Unarmed, or carrying a ceremonial weapon with no ammunition loaded, these present a prime target for “crazies” like the gunman today who is now dead.

Not to sound like a pessimist, but I think there may be more to come. Currently the gunman from the time of writing this article has shown no connection to the previous fellow who was confirmed to be radicalized, yet the risk is there. The prediction – using these two events, and drawing my thesis from the similarities – is that these events are but a small piece of the larger puzzle: there will be calls to beef up security in the coming days, for that I am sure. Until the threat of imminent attack is over, we need to remain vigilant at all times – danger has come home for us here in Canada.

Condolences go out to the family, and to the regiment of the reservist who was killed today – ceremonial duties should not be as dangerous as front-line operations, but regardless the man did his duty all the same. Next time a “crazy” wants to pick a fight, hopefully the servicemen will be ready. Better yet, hopefully we can avoid anymore of these incidents down the road – serving your country should not guarantee an automatic death-sentence, regardless of field chosen. This has been the writer for Thoughts and Topics; stay safe out there, remain vigilant, and I shall see you next time.